Sick of Lean Cuisine :-( Food suggestions for one person?

mgpage

I keep chicken strips, and green giant steamers on hand. I bake the chicken strip in the toaster oven and microwave the veggies and it all comes out about the same time.

megansoriano

I am a single gal. Here is some things I do


Breakfast:
Malt-O-Meal
Oatmeal
Cereal
1 egg 2 egg whites / cottage cheese
bagel w/ cream cheese

snack:
yogurt
jello
carrots
fiber one bars

lunch:
Salad ( I buy a lot of toppings and just throw on whatever I feel like in the mornings)
Amys soup
left overs

Dinner (with being in school and working I dont have much time so I have been making bulk on Sundays and throw it in the fridge)

Chicken
Vegetable
Rice
Lasagna
Casseroles
Frozen Tilapia

Lib_B

my husband travels and my kids are super picky, so a lot of nights it's just me.

i make pesto (i use basil but also baby spinach) and toast walnuts and use those instead of pricey pine nuts. also some evoo, lots of garlic, good parm, salt & pepper. freeze in ice cube trays. once frozen, pop out into a ziploc baggie. and store in freezer. 2 oz. of angel hair pasta, plus a thawed cube of pesto and tonight i threw in some frozen, precooked shrimp. just thawed them and threw in pasta water at the very end just to heat thru.

i also do a lot of stir fry, poached chicken breast and veggies. roasted brussel sprouts and roasted cauliflower. lots of asparagus and mushrooms. also omlettes are good. i used egg whites and stuff em full of veggies. also fish, i do lots of salmon filets. i ask my local grocer to cut a filet into 2 or 3 portions (unless they have smaller portions available). also grill a small steak. Pork loin tacos - i buy a pound of loin and cut into thin strips and portion into baggies and freeze. cooking light has got a great pork loin with lime and cilantro taco recipe.

hope these inspire you a little. i like to search eating well, cooking light, etc. and modify for one or two. if i have an extra serving i'll either try to get my kids to eat it or i save it for lunch or dinner on day 2. also check amazon (search healthy cooking for one) - i like to get ideas there and then see if my local library has them. i flip thru, pick a few, copy them at work :devil: and then i didn't have to buy the whole book for 2 or 3 recipes i'd actually use.

Lib_B

oh, one more i do a lot of are spicy black bean burgers on an arnold sandwich thin with lots of veggies. can zap it in the microwave 30-40 seconds per side and you've got dinner...

jiggy_gibby

Make it "meat of the week" and cook on Sunday.

Example : Ground Chicken (12 oz) - brown and divide into 4 equal parts - 3oz of meat at each meal. Saute onions and green pepper and put in fridge with seal tight lid. That week, you can use the meat and onions/peppers with additional seasonings and fixings to have

1) tacos (lettuce, cheese, tomato, taco shells),
2) sloppy joes (divide a can of sloppy joe sauce and freeze rest, use good bread/buns),
3) chili (just add tomatoes and beans)
4) enchiladas (tortilla, sauce, cheese, lettuce tomato).
5) pasta and add your meat to your sauce.

Make Friday canned soup/sandwich night or eat out night.

All can be served with easy side of veggies - microwaved or stove top - or a salad. 20 minutes or less to dinner and it's fantastic!

Vary ground turkey, lean ground beef, steak, etc as the meat of the week.

You can also buy a small rotissere chicken and divide up the meat into 3-4 meals.

Also, as many said, make any meal for four to six servings, divide and freeze portions. Or plow through the same thing all week- leftovers for lunch at work.

Hoakiebs

I use the weekend to cook a large meal that I can make into 4-6 individual servings for the week (might freeze some if I think I'll get tired of it. For me, anyway:

Chicken 5 Bean Chili
Chicken Tikka Masala or Jalfrezi with Basmati Rice
Chicken Vindaloo with Basmati Rice
Tofu Burritos (sliced tofu, browned in olive oil w/ Fajita seasoning, black beans, and sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms) topped with fat free sour cream and homemade pico de gallo and low fat cheese.
Blackened Talapia tacos (same as above but in a taco shells)
Pad Thai with tofu or chicken and vegetables.
Curried Tuna Salad
Blueberry Pancakes for Breakfast (cook a batch of 7 or 8 and eat for 3-4 mornings).
Homemade Spaghetti sauce with mushrooms or chicken.

Whatever your favorites are, individual serving containers (we get ours from the vietnamese take out place) are my friend, and they help with controlling portion sizes.

funkycamper

Bump. And here I thought I was so clever with all the different ways I can make a stir-fry by varying the proteins, veggies, seasonings and types of oil. Lots of creative ideas here. Thanks!

anglyn97

I get chicken breasts and then split them up into two packs and freeze them that way. You can also freeze them in individual packs. I make them both with veggies and whatever seasoning I want. Then I have one breast for lunch. I like the streamfresh veggie packs. I usually eat half the pack at night and half for lunch the next day. I also like the Turkey burger patties or turkey tenderloins. I usually freeze the meat in individual packets. I usually try to switch it up. You can freeze cooked rice in individual packets too. I don't have a huge freezer so I don't freeze a lot of stuff.

Also soup and a sandwich is good too. The 100 calorie progresso ones are pretty good. You can also make tuna salad and eat that over a bed of tomatoes or cucumbers. Another good dinner is an omelet. You can do an egg white omelet with a bunch of veggies or a poached egg over wilted spinach. Salads are good too. You can do salads with garbanzo/kidney/black beans with veggies.

StrawberrySt

I love asian soups and they are so easy and filling!

You can use a base of just about any flavours you like (miso, chicken broth) boil it up and add vegetables, meat and noodles.
If you are cooking with fish or seafood you can add it straight from the freezer. Add chilli, ginger, garlic or any other herbs you like.

You can buy pastes at the supermarket (watch the sodium count) or asian supermarkets are fantastic for new flavours. That way you just have a jar of paste and can add a teaspoon to your delicious soup for one!

Travelfixer

I'm cooking for just me, Usually I make too much and freeze in individual portions, that way when I don't feel like cooking I use one of those.

mtcHavingItAll

Bump. Great question and lots of awesome food suggestions. Thanks for sharing!

andream80

I make vegetable and tofu pot stickers and put them in the freezer. When I need something quick just for me I throw them in a hot non-stick pan, add boiling water, cover for about 5 minutes and then take off the cover and let them brown on the bottoms. About 300 calories for 8 pieces. This is a good recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/vegetarian-steamed-dumplings-recipe/index.html Make them on Saturday and you have something for the whole week.

Egg white omelet's are good to. Fast and easy.

taunto

Burrito:

Fiesta-Lime rice (I make it in a batch that lasts me atleast 4-5 days, I like rice alot. recipe is here: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html)
Chicken breast seasoned and cut in 1 inch cubes cooked
fat free cheese
pace salsa (I dont use salsa enough to warrant making my own batch)
1 whole wheat tortilla

Enjoy the burrito (or since I dont know how to wrap it properly...a big taco!)

dorseykm

My current favorite involves toasted bagle thins (110 cal) topped with light cream cheese (~35-70 cal), avocado (25-50 cal) and smoked salmon (~35 cal/oz).

JadeRabbit08

I am always really rushed for time and I can't eat gluten or diary which makes it a bit more restricting.

I buy chinese napa cabbage and baby spinach both are which are really nice raw.
That particular cabbage is sweet (doesnt taste cabbagy ) and easy to cut (takes you seconds) and has lower sulphur content than regular white cabbage. (no wind!)

So I throw that into a bowl then I go to the freezer where I am prepackaged 100 or 200 gram bags of chicken thighs I bought 3 kilos yesterday which will last me for 20-30 meals. I also have precooked brown rice that I have put in freezer bags (1 cup a bag)

Quick thaw in the microwave for the chicken and rice and then into a nonstick pan. Takes a small handful of minutes to cook.
I end up with a basic chicken meal with baby spinach and Napa cabbage salad. It all goes into the same bowl and gets mixed up.
I eat this everday at least once sometimes twice. What makes it different is whatever else I have lying around mushrooms sweet peppers, sprouts. I tend to like my greens and veg raw although sometimes I have cooked sweet potato mash.

I went and bought a whole lot of different condiments to change the flavour as well. Soy sauce, Pad thai paste, Rice wine vinegar, A really low cal soy based non dairy cream "cheese". Lemon pepper, lime juice, fish sauce, Sweet chilli plum sauce. Coconut oil and Nandos periperi chilli sauce. You get the idea.

Been eating that everyday and it beats lean cuisine hands down. The raw baby spinach and Napa cabbage makes up a huge bowl so you will feel full.
You can play around with the calorie levels with how much rice & chicken you use.

Key is it doesnt take long to separate the stuff into individual portions and the brown rice is no hassle when you cook in bulk and make enough for the week. Ten minutes from walking in the door I am sitting down to my noms.

For breakfast (well one of them anyway) I grab frozen bananas protein powder cacao powder and almod or rice milk and throw it in a blender. Taste so amazing and rather addictive.

ascott048

I love making breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs (1 egg + 2 whites), fat free sour cream, emerald valley salsa from Costco, and fat free sour cream on thin corn tortillas (2 for 80 calories)

I also heat up boca burgers and load them with lots of toppings

Trader Joes Sweet Italian Sausages (100 cals each) and onion and peppers -- 1 pan dish!

Greek omelet (1 egg + 2 whites) spinach, fat free feta, sliced olives

Italian omelet (1 egg + 2 whites) 2 table spoons pesto, spinach, skim mozz cheese, and sliced cherry toms.

I also do the crock pot or big pot of soup ideas.

Hickyvikki69

i use allrecipes.com and have tons of recipes under 300 calories to fix! great as leftovers.

happymom1197

All wonderful ideas! I buy my meat in bulk & cook it all when I get home from the store. Then I freeze it in individual servings. I also do this with a whole bag of dried beans, brown rice, whatever u eat that seems to take awhile to cook. U can also prep your veggies for the week all at once. I eat eggs for breakfast every morning, so I only have to chop my onion and bell peppers once. My quick go-to for 1 is spinach, feta, & strawberry salad. Just tear some fresh spinach leaves, slice up a few strawberries, and toss with low fat feta, & u r ready to eat.
I also like to "morph" my meals from one day to the next. My leftovers are almost always altered so I don't get bored. If I make a turkey breast in the crock pot on Monday, I will morph it into turkey salad, turkey pizza, turkey & eggs, turkey & pasta or rice, turkey sandwiches, barbecue turkey, turkey & veggie soup, the list goes on & on.

juliekaiser1988

Do you have a crockpot? I used to do the Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher's, etc., but since I started using a crockpot, now I come home to a homemade, hot meal, ready to eat and I know exactly what's in it. I get several meals out of each dish plus leftovers that I put in the freezer for a later date. It's awesome!! Crockingirls.com is a great website and they're also on Facebook.

Love those gals!!